About L.R. Maley:
Life walks us through many roles, mine have included: automotive designer, engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur. My pen name is L.R. Maley, and my current venture in life is as the author of the fantasy series, "The Chronicles of the Manaar."
Born and raised in Metro Detroit (USA, Michigan). I lived a childhood immersed in imaginative play and storytelling. My passion for Tolkien's works and the discovery of fantasy role-playing games as a teenager completed my journey to what is commonly referred to as nerd-dom.
My goal as a writer is two-fold. Firstly, I want to entertain. I want to create the type of story I love to read myself and share it with like-minded folk. Secondly, I would like to create a legacy that will ensure my daughter's future. My beautiful baby girl is autistic. So perhaps, if I can hit on that one story that people love to read, I can ensure her future.
What inspires you to write?
In one word, language. To hear an eloquent phrase or inspiring dialogue. It is the vocabulary that great writers weave throughout imaginative stories. Authors like Mark Twain and JRR Tolkien use words like the colors on a painting. It is magical to me.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Tolkien, Twain, and Rowling probably have inspired me the most.
But I do have some favorite contemporary authors that I enjoy shutting down and listening to on Audible; Scott Meyer (Magic 2.0), Lary Correia (Monster Hunters International) Drew Hayes (Super Powereds) Barry J Hutchison (Space Team) and Robert Kroesse (Starship Grifters) to name just a few
Tell us about your writing process.
I learned to write in high school and college by using outlines. It worked well for me, in school that is. I started Immersion as an outline to the Nth degree. I was almost halfway through when my protagonists found themselves just ahead of an emerging battle. The outline said, they run and escape. My character's said, "we can help!" So, I found myself writing them into the battle, almost I was a spectator as they led me through their world. I stopped writing for a moment, realized what had happened. I set myself to the task of deleting the digression and returning the story to the outline. It was a surreal experience for me. I changed my mind and my entire process at that moment. I became more of a free-form writer. I let the characters lead instead of making them conform to a plan. From then on I planned by scene in place of outline. I named the scene, bullet-pointed the things I wanted to get out of it and let it just happen in my head as I wrote. It was liberating.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
When I played Dungeons and Dragons as a kid, I was more of a story game master as opposed to numbers and dice man. What I mean is, I set the situation and let my players go through the world freely. They often left the stage, and I learned to respond to their changes in plans… making up stuff beyond my original storyline along the way. It made for some really fun sessions. I find that when I am writing, it is the same. The characters just seem to find their way through, I am just setting the scenes and acting on behalf of the background characters. So, no, I do not believe that I "talk" to them directly… But I do interact with them through proxies.
What advice would you give other writers?
Just write what you love and don't stop. Just keep writing. This is probably cliche, but it is a fundamental truth. You get better with experience.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first attempt at putting out a book was in the 90's. The process back then was tedious and disappointing. It was akin to buying easy-pick lottery tickets and hoping. I turned to the many how-to self-publishing how-to books. I just wanted to make my writing available figuring that once I had some books to sell, I could put all my attention into promoting. Still a work in progress, but any Indy author will agree… the business aspect of self-publishing sucks the life out of writing time
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Frankly, I am afraid. We are on the brink of AI replacing people as the imaginators and creators. I feel my emergence as an author is ill-timed
What genres do you write?: Fantasy and Sci-fi
What formats are your books in?: Print, Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
L.R. Maley Home Page Link
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Instagram
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
